Easter 2024

Thank you to everyone who attended our Easter Sunday service and also the preceding Holy Week services. Special thanks to Revd Chris for leading our Good Friday service and then the celebratory communion on Sunday, and to Suki who led the two Compline services earlier in the week.

Suki also led the St Martin’s School Easter service which I was lucky enough to attend. This was a wonderful combination of songs, prayers and readings, telling the story of Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem, the Last Supper, Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion and His glorious resurrection. At various points in the service the children placed items on and around the wooden cross at the front of the chancel.

The entire service was very well delivered. The standard of singing, particularly by the choir, was especially impressive. Thank you and well done!

Many of you will be aware that Revd Chris and his wife Suzie are leaving the Benefice at the end of May. This was announced by the Churchwardens last week by email, which also provides assurance about the arrangements during the remainder of the interregnum.

Thank you to Chris and Suzie for all they have done for us during the past year. We shall miss them both but wish them every success and happiness.

Mothering Sunday

Thank you to everyone who attended Sunday’s service, particularly the children from St Martin’s School and their families who made the occasion so special.

Thank you to Suki for leading the service; and special thanks to the children who produced and then distributed the posies, ably led by a our flower team.

Christmas 2023

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate Christmas: those who attended the Carol Service on 17 December, particularly the St Martin's School pupils, choir, teachers, parents and carers, and the large congregation who came to the Midnight Mass service on Christmas Eve. Special thanks to all those who prepared the church for the services: our wonderful flower team, those lit all the candles on Christmas Eve, our choir and of course Revd Chris who led both services. Unfortunately Hugh, our organist, went down with Covid on 23rd but we were very lucky that Peter Stanley was able to substitute at very short notice and we were all extremely grateful.

We are all delighted that Hugh has now recovered and was back on the organ stool for today's Benefice Communion service.

Thank you also for our fantastic team of bell-ringers who do such a great job in announcing our services and encouraging everyone to come!

Revd Chris is taking a well deserved holiday next Sunday (7 Jan) and we are grateful to Revd Canon Michael Kenning who is taking our Parish Communion service. Amongst other distinguished achievements Canon Michael is vice-chairman of the Jane Austen Society and author of ‘A closer walk with God: Christian insights from the novels of Jane Austen; a series of sermons given at St Nicholas Steventon 1994 - 1998’.

Canon Christine's farewell service

Thank you to everyone who attended the special Evensong service at St Martin’s on 30th November to say farewell to our wonderful Rector, Revd Canon Christine Dale, who has retired after twenty one fantastic years, and to wish her and Simon every happiness in the future.   

Although the service was in St Martin’s (where Christine’s induction service took place in November 2002 and where she and Simon were married the following year) organisation was very much a joint effort by the five churches in the Benefice.  The team of sidesmen worked hard to find space for the 260 people who attended.  Apologies to a few who had to stand at the back of the church, probably caused by the chairs being used to extend the space in the chancel to accommodate the choir, augmented by singers from Woolton Hill, Highclere and Ashmansworth!

It was particularly special that the Bishop of Basingstoke, the Right Reverend David Williams, who preached the sermon, and the Reverend David Roche, Area Dean, were able to join us.  Special thanks to them and also the many others who worked hard to make the service such a success, in particular Ann Harris, virger, Georgie Robertson who conducted the choir and Hugh Cobbe, organist.

Thank you also to the very many who contributed so generously to the collection which enabled Andrew Colville, on behalf of the churches, to present a cheque and other gifts to Christine immediately after the service.  This was followed by tributes from Katy Bartlett, Headteacher of St Martin’s School, Bishop David, Revd David, Simon and a response from Christine.  

We then enjoyed refreshments, including champagne (very generously given by an anonymous donor) and canapes prepared by numerous volunteers under the direction of Sarah Ede, whose organisational skills had been recognised earlier by Simon who invested her with a ‘drinks monitor’ badge!

The evening was a very fitting tribute to all that Christine has achieved during her twenty one years as Rector, not just during all the regular Sunday services that she has taken but through her work with the countless families she has touched:   in the schools, preparing and performing baptisms, weddings, funerals and other pastoral work.  We all owe her an enormous debt of gratitude.

We now enter a period of ‘interregnum’ during which the churchwardens will work with the Diocese to identify and recruit a new Rector.  During this period we are truly fortunate to be able to rely on our Associate Priest, Very Revd Professor Chris Hancock, and Licensed Lay Minister, Suki Coe, so that together we can continue services in our five churches and our mission of making Christ known in our communities.

…. and here is Christine’s letter, which although formally addressed to churchwardens is meant for everyone who was involved in the service and/or contributed to the presents

Remembrance Service

Thank you to everyone who attended our service of remembrance at the East End war memorial on Sunday;  and thank you to Canon Christine for leading us. 

The weather was grey and drizzly but, as Christine reminded me before the service, those whose lives we were commemorating had to put up with much worse and for much longer.  Sadly Tim Cross was not able to play the Last Post and Reveille for us this year and we missed him.  But thanks to St Martin’s School we were able to use a loudspeaker to broadcast recordings and also provide accompaniment for the hymn and National Anthem.  Special thanks to the Chipchase family for once again providing refreshment after the service (as well as electricity and WiFi for the music!)

Incidentally, full details of those from East Woodhay who lost their lives during the two world wars are published here, as well as in the church.

The previous Monday many of us met at St Martin’s Church for the funeral of Kate Mackinnon.  The service was very much one of sadness but also thanksgiving for Kate’s fulfilling and selfless life.  A member of the wonderful Webb family Kate was a churchwarden from 2004-2010.  She is greatly missed but very warmly remembered.

'One PCC' progress

As you may recall, a meeting took place at St Martin’s School on 19 November last year to hear the proposals from a working group led by Horace Mitchell to combine the PCCs of the churches in our Benefice into a single PCC.  The details are here. 

Your PCC met shortly afterwards, on 30 November, and agreed that we should proceed with the group’s recommendations, in accordance with the statement below: 

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of St Martin’s Church, East Woodhay, has agreed to go forward with other churches in North West Hampshire to form One PCC which will support St Martin’s and three other churches (St Thomas’ Woolton Hill, St James’ Ashmansworth, St Michael and All Angels’ Crux Easton), working alongside St Michael & All Angels’ Church, Highclere, in our North West Hampshire Benefice.

We believe this change can help us streamline our administration and management and release energy to engage with our local communities in our common aim of making Christ known in this beautiful and much loved area.

The proposal was also discussed at our Annual Parish Church Meeting on 17 April and referenced, by Canon Christine, in the 2022 Annual Report.

The Diocese of Winchester has now issued the ‘Draft Pastoral Scheme’, as explained in this link, which will enable the amalgamation to go ahead.  The draft includes details of how you can comment formally to the Church Commissioners.  But if you have any questions the Churchwardens and/or PCC members will be pleased to answer them.  

At the end of the consultation period, it is planned that the Pastoral Scheme (the draft is here) will be signed and we can proceed with the formation of the amalgamated PCC . 

Thank you, Toby!

Some of you may remember Toby Wright playing the organ for us at our Parish Communion service on 2nd July when Hugh was away.

Hugh and I attended a truly wonderful recital by Toby yesterday in Douai Abbey. The programme, together with Toby’s details, is here. He has a YouTube site, as well as other social media channels, where you can hear his very accomplished playing.

Not only are we so fortunate to be able to rely on Hugh, our organist for 35 years, but we are also very lucky that there are several other local organists, including Toby, who have been willing to provide us with excellent music when Hugh is unavailable.

Liz Castle

The church was completely full for Liz Castle’s funeral and thanksgiving service on 20th February, with some people having to stand at the back.  This was a fitting tribute to a wonderful person who did so much for the community of East Woodhay and the wider world. 

As her son, Richard, said in his personal tribute Liz had a natural gift for friendship as so many of us who have moved to East Woodhay experienced.  The list of her work in our community is almost endless and includes editor and distributor of Spectrum, leading roles in the NSPCC, Mothers’ Union and St Martin’s Guild Fete. 

She was also an accomplished artist in the widest sense  -  painting, flower arranging and running the kneeler group whose tapestry is so evident in the church pews. It seemed so appropriate that when we met to remember her the churchyard was adorned with a beautiful array of snowdrops.

She is greatly missed by us all but will never be forgotten.

Thank you message from Winchester Diocese

Just received from the Diocesan Secretary & Chief Operating Officer, Colin Harbidge:

To the PCC and Congregation of the Parish of East Woodhay,

I am writing to thank you for your generosity over the last year and for your payment of the Common Mission Fund request in full. It is truly and greatly appreciated by the Bishops Council and the wider Diocesan community.

This year has been another challenging one, certainly when it comes to both personal and parish finances. The Common Mission Fund continues to be hugely integral to the aims of seeing Jesus represented in every community across our region. Your ongoing commitment to this is truly humbling, and we cannot say thank you enough.

In 2022 your gift to the Common Mission Fund contributed to the costs of our stipendiary clergy and curates, the development of lay ministry, as well those that enrolled in The Bishops’ Commission for Mission programme. We were also able to continue our significant ministry across 100+ Church of England schools.

I would encourage you to share this thank you video with your congregation.

As a diocese, we aim to have a Christian presence in every community. Thank you for your commitment to this ministry, which is only realised through the generosity shown by our faithful parishes and individuals.

With all best wishes,

Colin

Thank you, Bishop David!

We were delighted to welcome the Bishop of Basingstoke, the Rt Rev David Williams, last Sunday who kindly agreed to lead our Evensong service whilst Christine was taking some well-deserved time off.

Bishop David also took the services elsewhere in the Benefice: 8am at Ashmansworth and 11am at Highclere. So we are all truly grateful. The Bishop has also been instrumental in the appointment of Rev Dr Chris Hancock as Associate Priest who we hope will join us in March. We have much to thank him for!

We have recently invested in a new wireless microphone system which has greatly improved the sound quality, particularly the ‘loop’ system which transmits the sound direct to those with hearing aids. The lectern microphone, amplifier and speakers are unchanged and their long life is a tribute to the work and expertise of Charles Vaslet (who died a few years ago but whose sister Vera still lives in the parish) and Tim Foster (a former headteacher of St Martin’s School) who installed the original system.

Advent 2022

We are now more than half way through Advent, the season of preparation which begins four Sundays before Christmas and leads up to Christmas Day. As Canon Christine pointed out in her most recent message in Spectrum, Advent is not so much about the coming of Christmas Day but the coming of Christ. Advent is about the waiting, the expectation, the promise and hope that we have in Christ that all will be made new, that His light shines in the darkness and that the world can be a better place; for God is with us..

Thank you to Bishop David who preached to us at St Thomas's Church on Advent Sunday, setting us off on our journey of waiting, hope and expectation. Christine also announced to us that Rev Professor Christopher Hancock has been offered and has accepted the post of Associate Priest, working on a part time basis, in the Benefice. Although the appointment is subject to statutory checks before it can be made formal, this is wonderful news and we hope that Chris and his wife Suzie will be moving into the Clergy House in Highclere in the Spring so that Chris can start work.

Thank you to those who were part of the work party on 3 Dec tidying the inside and outside of the church in preparation for our Christmas services. Full details are on the leaflet, starting our Carol Service this coming Sunday and then our special Midnight Mass service at 1130pm on Christmas Eve. Please join us!

Remembrance 2022

Thank you to everyone who attended our service on Sunday at the East End war memorial to commemorate those who died in the two world wars: twenty four in the first world war and six in the second. Their names are on the memorial and also in the church. Thanks to the East Woodhay Local History Society full details, together with some photos, are set out in a folder in the church and also on the website.

We were lucky with the weather and it was great to see so many people. Thank you to Christine for leading us and to Tim Cross of the East Woodhay Silver Band for sounding the Last Post followed by the Reveille after the period of silence. Special thanks to the Chipchase, Clifton and Brunsden families for once again providing the refreshments afterwards.

Commemoration and thanksgiving for the life of Her Majesty

Our Evensong service last Sunday enabled us all to commemorate and give thanks for the exemplary life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. The service was designed as a Benefice-wide occasion on the eve of the State Funeral. Thank you to everyone who attended, including the vice-chair of East Woodhay Parish Council, who read the lesson, visiting choir members from St Thomas’s and St Michael and all Angels’ churches, who boosted our singing, and of course Christine for leading us in worship and prayer.

We now return to the normal service pattern although there have had to be minor adjustments following the retirement of Canon Marvin and before a successor is appointed. This Sunday’s service is ‘Morning Worship’ at 0930, based on the Book of Common Prayer but using contemporary language. As Christine is on duty at St Thomas’, Woolton Hill, our service will be led by a churchwarden. Please join us!

Plans for the next few months

This morning we returned to St Martin’s after our August ‘pilgrimage’ to each of the churches in the Benefice.  Thank you to Christine for leading the service and to Suki for her sermon, sharing with us her inspirational thoughts on how to be a disciple of Jesus.

Now that the summer holiday period is almost over we revert to the monthly pattern of services.  But whilst the Benefice seeks to recruit a replacement for Canon Marvin the service schedule has had to be revised slightly.  Evensong has been moved to the third Sunday and the 9.30am Morning Worship service, which will be led by a churchwarden, to the fourth. 

The search for Marvin’s replacement has begun.  An advertisement was published in this week’s Church Times, linked to the ‘Profile’ which describes the Benefice and the role of Associate Priest, which we hope and pray will provide us with a worthy successor to work with Christine, the ministry team and indeed all of us in our worship and mission.  

This evening some of us attended the annual service at Highclere Cemetery Chapel in the grounds of Highclere Castle to remember those local people who are buried in the cemetery and also those who have died during the last year.  Lady Carnarvon’s blog contains a lovely description of the background to the service.

Our August pilgrimage

Thank you to all those who have joined us at the Benefice Communion services during August and our pilgrimage to each of the five churches in the Benefice. Last Sunday we were at Highclere. Thank you to Christine, Horace and Suki for leading us.

The final service in our August journey is at Crux Easton this coming Sunday, 28th August. For those who have not been to Crux Easton before, the population is only 60 and the church correspondingly small. Nevertheless you will be assured of a warm welcome. The church and surrounding countryside are wonderful and create a very special impression. I don’t think you will be disappointed; so please join us! The Google Maps link is here.

Thank you for the Jubilee celebrations!

Congratulations and many thanks to all those who made last weekend so fulfilling, enjoyable and memorable so that we could celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.

After a gap of three years because of the Covid restrictions, it was wonderful to be able to return to Stargroves for the St Martin’s Guild fete on Friday, thanks to the generosity of Mr and Mrs Dalrymple in letting us use their magnificent grounds again.  Enormous thanks must go to Toby Ward, Sarah Leventhorpe and their team for organising the event, not just on the day itself but for all the considerable preparation work during the weeks and months beforehand as well as all the various management tasks afterwards.  Thank you also to the many people who attended and/or sponsored the event, generating the income which is so important to the church and other local charities. 

Then on Saturday evening we all returned to Stargroves (again due to the generosity of Mr and Mrs Dalrymple) for the Jubilee party.  Thank you to Toby, Sarah and their team for all the preparatory work, the caterers, Jo Meacham and his Fat Chance band, those who donated auction items and to all those who attended and made the evening such a tremendous success.

The weekend finished with a ‘civic service’ for the East Woodhay civil parish at St Thomas’ church on Sunday.  Thank you to the choir, led by Georgie Robertson, who sung ‘A Life filled with Grace’ specially composed for the Jubilee, and of course to Canon Christine who led us in praising and thanking God for The Queen’s long and faithful service.

Looking forward, many will be aware that Canon Marvin is leaving us shortly after almost four years as our Associate Priest.  He will be greatly missed but we wish him and his wife Sue every happiness in their new life, being geographically closer to their family.  Marvin’s last service with us will be Evensong on 24th July.  Please save the date and join us so that we can thank Marvin and Sue for all they have done for us.